History TookALevelInDumbass / Literature

** [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Another interpretation]] is that while she started out reasonably smart, the events of the end of the third book ([[spoiler: her son Joffery's murder, her brother Tyrion's escape before he can be executed for said murder, and her twin Jamie's reluctance to continue their incestuous affair]]) has unhinged her. It helps that everyone capable of overriding her bad decisions is dead or has left King's Landing by the fourth book. Alternately, she was never ''that'' smart in the first place: she beats Ned more through Ned's insistence on HonorBeforeReason than her own cleverness, helped along by people like Littlefinger because she was a ''useful'' and ''predictable'' tool for conspirators who were already planning the next dynasty (or two) to succeed her. Until the readers start getting chapters from ''her'' perspective, she seems relatively competent (if petty and occasionally outmatched) in her scheming and politicking.

* Septimus Heap in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', between ''Syren'' and ''Darke''. In ''Syren'' he's the cautious one, in ''Darke'' [[spoiler: his disregard for Jenna's warnings about the '''Darke Domaine''' doesn't match any of his past actions, and results in the '''Domaine''' being set loose]].

* ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'': Watson is compentent in the original novels, though his mediocrity does serve to highlight the main character's brilliance. In many adaptations he has taken a level in dumbass: few of which have portrayed him with any of his original intelligence or abilities.

* In ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'', Roderick Heffley started off as BookDumb, playing pranks requiring a strong amount of intelligence on Greg but unwilling to apply himself otherwise. Later books have him nigh brain dead, and he seems to lack any knowledge of the world around him and has no common sense whatsoever.

* Septimus Heap in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', between ''Syren'' and ''Darke''. In ''Syren'' he the cautious one, in ''Darke'' [[spoiler: his disregard for Jenna's warnings about the '''Darke Domaine''' doesn't match any of his past actions, and results in the '''Domaine''' being set loose]].
* ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'': Watson is compentent in the originals novel, though his mediocrity does serve to highlight the main character's brilliance. In many adaptations he has taken a level in dumbass: few of which have portrayed him with any of his original intelligence or abilities.
** Same goes for Literature/HerculePoirot's sidekick Captain Hastings.

* In ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' Roderick Heffley started off as BookDumb, playing pranks requiring a strong amount of intelligence on Greg but unwilling to apply himself otherwise. Later books have him nigh brain dead, and he seems to lack any knowledge of the world around him and has no common sense whatsoever.

* Kalten in ''TheElenium'' seems to get a case of this. In the beginning of the trilogy, he is a skilled knight although he is incapable of performing magic because he couldn't pronounce the Styric language. By the end of the second book, this has turned into him not knowing what a diagonal is. Subverted at the end of the Tamuli where he reveals that he is playing the ObfuscatingStupidity card, since he knows that if people don't take him seriously they will be off-guard around him.

* Ron Weasley from ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' was initially just kind of an average student, sometimes lazier than others, but potentially smarter than people realized as evidenced by the fact that he happened to be very good at wizard chess. Unfortunately as time went by {{Flanderization}} kicked in and he became progressively dumber while Hermione Granger had her "superior" IQ bolstered to almost super-human levels, creating a serious inequality between them and their romantic subplot. Of course, it didn't help that even before the fifth, sixth and seventh books were released the film adaptations tended to portray Ron as a lot dumber and more cowardly, to the point of being useless than what the books originally went for, and some of that clearly influenced his portrayal in later books.

* Cersei in ''ASongOfIceAndFire''. In book 1 she successfully engineers her husband's death and beats out Ned Stark in the power struggle that follows, and while she's ultimately bested by the Imp in book 2, she's not a pushover. In book 4, though, she surrounds herself with morons and alienates everybody useful as if she's doing it on purpose - Littlefinger aptly describes her as "stumbl[ing] from one idiocy to the next." One interpretation is that she's gotten stupid and arrogant from her success, which matches this trope. But it's also possible that she's no dumber than before, and has simply been promoted to the level of her incompetence, Peter Principle-style. The Seven Kingdoms are not an easy realm to run.
** [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Another interpretation]] is that while she started out reasonably smart, the events of the end of the third book ([[spoiler: her son Joffery's murder, her brother Tyrion's escape before he can be executed for said murder, and her twin Jamie's reluctance to continue their incestuous affair]]) has unhinged her. It helps that everyone capable of overriding her bad decisions is dead or has left King's Landing by the fourth book. Alternately, she was never ''that'' smart in the first place: she beats Ned more through Ned's insistence on HonorBeforeReason than her own cleverness, helped along by people like Littlefinger because she was a ''useful'' and ''predictable'' tool for conspirators who were already planning the next dynasty (or two) to succeed her. Until the readers start getting chapters from ''her'' perspective, she seems relatively competent (if petty and occasionally outmatched) in her scheming and politicking.
* Claudia from ''TheBabysittersClub'' started out as a C-student who had an above average I.Q. but just didn't care about doing well in school. By the end of the series, she was so dumb the reader sometimes wondered how she managed to put on her pants in the morning.

* Septimus Heap in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', between ''Syren'' and ''Darke''. In ''Syren'' he the cautious one, in ''Darke'' [[spoiler: his disregard for Jenna's warnings about the '''Darke Domaine''' doesn't match any of his past actions, and results in the '''Domaine''' being set loose.]]
* ''SherlockHolmes'': Watson is compentent in the originals novel, though his mediocrity does serve to highlight the main character's brilliance. In many adaptations he has taken a level in dumbasss: few of which have portrayed him with any of his original intelligence or abilities.
** Same goes for HerculePoirot's sidekick Captain Hastings.
* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': In the first four books of the series Elaida is presented as a cunning member of the Red Ajah who is able to get Suian removed from power and still her. As soon as she gain powers her I.Q drops considerably, she pisses everyone in the tower off, she makes disastrous decisions that causes Aes Sedai to be captured, and she can't even decide that the Black Ajah exists or not even when it should be obvious after several sisters were murdered and Ter'angreal were stolen. The reason for the change is that she was briefly visited by Padan Fain, whose powers include the ability to corrupt people and drive them insane. His influence was only a 'brush' of his normal power, but it was enough to start a slow deterioation.
* Ron Weasley from ''HarryPotter'' was initially just kind of an average student, sometimes lazier than others, but potentially smarter than people realized as evidenced by the fact that he happened to be very good at wizard chess. Unfortunately as time went by {{Flanderization}} kicked in and he became progressively dumber while Hermione Granger had her "superior" IQ bolstered to almost super-human levels, creating a serious inequality between them and their romantic subplot. Of course, it didn't help that even before the fifth, sixth and seventh books were released the film adaptations tended to portray Ron as a lot dumber and more cowardly, to the point of being useless than what the books originally went for, and some of that clearly influenced his portrayal in later books.

** [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Another interpretation]] is that while she started out reasonably smart, the events of the end of the third book ([[spoiler: her son Joffery's murder, her brother Tyrion's escape before he can be executed for said murder, and her twin Jamie's reluctance to continue their incestuous affair]]) has unhinged her. It helps that everyone capable of overriding her bad decisions is dead or has left King's Landing by the fourth book. Alternately, she was never ''that'' smart in the first place: she beats Ned more through Ned's insistence on HonorBeforeReason than her own cleverness.

** Another interpretation is that while she started out reasonably smart, the events of the end of the third book ([[spoiler: her son Joffery's murder, her brother Tyrion's escape before he can be executed for said murder, and her twin Jamie's reluctance to continue their incestuous affair]]) has unhinged her.
** It helps that everyone capable of overriding her bad decisions is dead or has left King's Landing by the fourth book.

* ''SherlockHolmes'': Watson is compentent in the originals novel, though his mediocrity does serve to highlight the main character's brilliance. In many adaptations he has taken a level in dumbasss: few of which have portrayed him with any of his original intelligence or abilities.
** Same goes for HerculePoirot's sidekick Captain Hastings.
* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': In the first four books of the series Elaida is presented as a cunning member of the Red Ajah who is able to get Suian removed from power and still her. As soon as she gain powers her I.Q drops considerably, she pisses everyone in the tower off, she makes disastrous decisions that causes Aes Sedai to be captured, and she can't even decide that the Black Ajah exists or not even when it should be obvious after several sisters were murdered and Ter'angreal were stolen. The reason for the change is that she was briefly visited by Padan Fain, whose powers include the ability to corrupt people and drive them insane. His influence was only a 'brush' of his normal power, but it was enough to start a slow deterioation.

* Claudia from ''TheBabysittersClub'' started out as a C-student who had an above average I.Q. but just didn't care about doing well in school. By the end of the series, she was so dumb the reader sometimes wondered how she managed to put on her pants in the morning.

* Cersei in ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', although YMMV. In book 1 she successfully engineers her husband's death and beats out Ned Stark in the power struggle that follows, and while she's ultimately bested by the Imp in book 2, she's not a pushover. In book 4, though, she surrounds herself with morons and alienates everybody useful as if she's doing it on purpose - Littlefinger aptly describes her as "stumbl[ing] from one idiocy to the next." One interpretation is that she's gotten stupid and arrogant from her success, which matches this trope. But it's also possible that she's no dumber than before, and has simply been promoted to the level of her incompetence, Peter Principle-style. The Seven Kingdoms are not an easy realm to run.

* Kalten in ''TheElenium'' seems to get a case of this. In the beginning of the trilogy, he is a skilled knight although basically book-dumb, i.e. he is incapable of performing magic because he couldn't learn the Styric language. By the end of the second book, this has turned into him not knowing what a diagonal is. Subverted at the end of the Tamuli where he reveals that he is playing the ObfuscatingStupidity card, since he knows that if people don't take him seriously they will be off-guard around him.
** Turns out it's not that he couldn't ''learn'' Styric, he just couldn't pronounce the words. He can actually understand Stryic fairly well.

* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': In the first four books of the series Elaida is presented as a cunning member of the Red Ajah who is able to get Suian removed from power and still her. As soon as she gain powers her I.Q drops considerably, she pisses everyone in the tower off, she makes disastrous decisions that causes Aes Sedai to be captured, and she can't even decide that the Black Ajah exists or not even when it should be obvious after several sisters were murdered and Ter'angreal were stolen. The only possible explanation is she was elevated beyond her abilities (not surprising given she was the pawn of several Black Ajah in getting raised) and cracked after her first few screw ups.
** Actually, there's another explanation: she was briefly visited by Padan Fain, whose powers include the ability to corrupt people and drive them insane. In one of Fain's points of view, he mentions that he "brushed [her] with what he carried from Aridhol." It's not exactly confirmed, but it is implied.
*** WordOfGod confirms it. Fain wasn't around Elaida long enough to substantially change her personality, but his presence brought out the worst aspects that were already there and certainly accelerated her deterioration.
** Alviarin was a member of the Black Ajah and Elaida's Keeper of the Chronicles. She had been bullying Elaida into obeying her orders, even using Compulsion on her to have her obey. Most of Elaida's efforts since being raised are to undermine Alviarin's influence on her, and it is known that Compulsion causes mental instability if it is used multiple times on one person. Both these factors, as well as Fain's ability to corrupt, would swiftly give her the dumbass experience required to level up from cunning to totally incompetent.
** Also, by the last several books things aren't going Elaida's way at all, and she's starting to crack under the strain. A VillainousBreakdown may not cause you to ''lose'' IQ points, but it'll certainly have a negative impact on your being able to use them.